It's A Wonderful Life
by miekhead
Summary: Set during season 3's The Greatest Gift through Claudia's POV on being exposed to the Warehouse in this particular world. Implied Cleena.


Claudia should feel terrified. Really she should. There's a tesla pointed at her head, and though she partly knows what's happening, she doesn't know how successful their mission will be.

Pete keeps talking about this woman called Leena, who she supposedly works and lives with, in the other world. They had pulled up to the beautiful B&B which was shrouded with a heavy blanket of snow and now they were inside. Warm. And about to die.

Claudia had been told by Pete that the teslas weren't too dangerous, but she was sure that if Leena wanted to shoot her from a close range she would do some damage at least.

She is taken, however, by the beauty of the woman before her. Her curled hair shakes as her chest heaves with fear. Of course it does, her house has been invaded.

She vaguely hears Pete introducing her. He's saying how much Leena likes them. And Claudia wonders whether it's the adrenaline, but she is in awe of the woman in front of her. She feels like she knows her, and that's completely wrong because she has never met her in her life.

She knows she likes painting. She knows she loves cooking. She knows that she has or had a close relationship with Artie. And she's not sure whether she knows these as facts, or just inklings she's picked up from looking around the grandiose house.

She manages a quick wave, but her mouth is still ajar, and she can't seem to shut it.

"Stop." Leena is commanding, and everybody including Artie is silent. "Something wasn't right, I could feel it." And then Leena drops the tesla, and walks towards the old man with a smile. "I'm glad you're back, Artie." She puts on the necklace, and Claudia is floored by how confident the innkeeper is to trust them, to trust complete strangers, and Artie who has been locked away for years. The glow surrounds Artie, and he is visibly relieved. The crystals around his neck are lambent.

Leena wishes them well, and before she knows it, Claudia has faced subzero temperatures and has broken into the Warehouse. She wants this all to be over. She wants them to get over this, finish this mission so she can find her brother and move on. She's grown up with too much hatred for the man who is already acting so much like her father it's annoying. He's annoying.

Pete only proves this, and says that they're family. That in the real world, they all get along. And in Claudia's mind, she sees Leena again, and sees that one smile that kept her speechless.

She guesses she got a little moony because it's been a while since she's been with anyone. Or even had a friend. But there is something about that innkeeper that makes Claudia feel like she needs to stay here. Here at the Warehouse. Something about Leena tells her that this woman is connected to her future in some way.

But now, now she's in the bronzing capsule. And she's clutching on to the professor's hand, and taking a deep breath like he tells her. She feels sad, for once. Not angry. She feels as if she's not ready to die. Or be bronzed, or whatever the hell Grumps said was going to happen.

When Myka and Pete free them, she feels like she could hug them.

"He's up there, see." Artie is pointing towards MacPherson who looks like the most evil, boring Santa she ever did see. He has a red sack with cool things inside but he really could benefit from a beard, or filling out a little at the waist. "So you just keep him talking."

"Well what are you going to do?" Claudia asks.

"Find a way to be awesome." Artie says, and the grin is fixed firmly on her face. She hasn't felt this feeling in a while. Not since she was younger. Pride. For another person.

Claudia hates this MacPherson guy, and she tries to find a way to override the lava pit that is obviously not good news, and when Pete says that MacPherson shouldn't destroy so many artifacts at the same time and he could kill them all she tries harder. She's almost got it. She's almost broken through to the sliding trap door.

But she doesn't. She hasn't managed it in time, and then Pete is diving to catch the upholstery brush.

Then nothing. Things go dark. The world isn't how it's supposed to be. It's dark, and she's confused, and all Claudia Donovan wants is to see the mysterious innkeeper just one more time.


End file.
